Aizawl, Dec 6 : A day after outgoing Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga resigned from the Presidentship of the Mizo National Front (MNF) owning moral responsibility of the party poll debacle, the party's Core Committee and Political Affairs Committee rejected his resignation while lauding his gesture. After the joint meeting of the Core Committee and Political Affairs Committee, MNF Senior Vice President and outgoing Deputy Chief Minister Tawnluia said that Wednesday's meeting rejected outright Zoramthanga's resignation. Any election outcome is the collective responsibility of the party and not of the President alone, he said, citing to the resolution of the meeting. Zoramthanga, who served as Chief Minister of the state for several terms and held the post of party President for 33 long years, had put in his papers following the MNF's humiliating defeat by the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) led by Lalduhoma. The elections to the 40-member Mizoram assembly were held on November 7 and counting of votes was held on Monday. The ZPM secured 27 seats and the MNF managed to secure only 10 seats reducing its tally from 26 in 2018 assembly polls, while Zoramthanga himself also lost his Aizawl East-I seat to ZPM Vice President Lalthansanga by a margin of 2,101 votes. Zoramthanga has been the MNF President since the death of Laldenga in 1990. The 79-year-old MNF chief has so far successfully contested Assembly polls for six times in between 1987 and 2018 and held the Chief Minister's post for three terms in between 1998 and 2023. /IANS